Credit Cards for People with No Credit

Credit cards for no credit offer high approval odds to people with limited credit history, even if you’re a total newcomer with no borrowing experience. Plus, all major credit cards for people with no credit will make everyday spending safer and more convenient as well as help you build a good credit score (some cards are from WalletHub’s partners). And the best no-credit credit cards can help you save along the way, thanks to $0 annual fees and even some rewards. To help point you in the right direction, WalletHub’s editors compared all the cards for people with no credit in our database of 1,000+ offers. You can check out their favorites below.

Responsibly using … show morea credit card for people with no credit is the best way to build credit from scratch.… show more That’s important because your credit standing affects the loan terms you get, the insurance premiums you pay and your ability to rent an apartment, buy a car or even work in certain jobs.

Using a credit card doesn’t have to be risky, either. You don’t even need to spend any money to benefit. Simply having an open credit card account that’s in good standing will send positive information to the major credit bureaus every month. So if you don’t think you’ll be able to pay your bill on time every time, just lock your card in a drawer.

Below, you can learn more about the best credit cards for people with limited credit history, including the easiest credit cards to get with no credit, and how to use them.show less

We work hard to show you up-to-date product terms, however, this information does not originate from us and thus, we do not guarantee its accuracy. Actual terms may vary. Before submitting an application, always verify all terms and conditions with the offering institution. Please let us know if you notice any differences.

† Approval Odds are WalletHub estimates intended to gauge your likelihood of approval for a particular product. Approval Odds are based on WalletHub data and are not provided or endorsed by the lender. Approval Odds are not meant to imply or guarantee that you will be approved by the lender or that credit will be extended.

Ad Disclosure: Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted on an offer’s details page using the designation "Sponsored", where applicable. Advertising may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). At WalletHub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products.

Editorial and user-generated content on this page is not provided, commissioned, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any issuer.

The 5 Best Credit Cards for No Credit of 2019

The best credit cards for people with no credit have annual fees as low as $0 and credit limits starting around $200-$300. No-credit credit cards also offer high approval odds to newcomers despite their limited credit experience.

Keep reading for specifics about WalletHub’s picks for the 5 best credit cards to get with no credit right now.

The best credit card for no credit is the Capital One® Platinum Credit Card. It has a $0 annual fee and a credit limit of $300 or more with no security deposit. People with no credit or limited credit history also have good approval odds for the Capital One Platinum Card. The only downside is that Capital One Platinum does not have rewards, but low fees are usually preferable for newcomers.

The best rewards card for people with no credit is the Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card. It gives 1.5% cash back on all purchases. The tradeoff is that QuicksilverOne charges a $39 annual fee. But if you charge at least $2,600 per year to the card, you will earn enough in rewards to cancel out the cost of the fee.

The easiest credit card to get with no credit is the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card. There is no credit check when you apply, so approval is nearly guaranteed for anyone who’s at least 18 years old with enough income to afford monthly bill payments. The OpenSky Visa has a $35 annual fee and requires cardholders to submit a refundable security deposit of at least $200, the amount of which will be the account’s spending limit. Like all other major credit cards, OpenSky will help you build credit as long as you use it responsibly.

The best secured credit card for people with no credit is the Discover it® Secured. It is a rare secured credit card with a $0 annual fee and rewards. Cardholders earn 2% cash back on up to $1,000 spent at gas stations and restaurants every quarter, as well as unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Discover also doubles users’ first-year rewards earnings as an anniversary present. And because Discover it Secured’s spending limit equals the amount of your refundable security deposit, the odds of someone with no credit history being approved are quite high.

If you are a college student with no credit, consider applying for Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One®. Journey is one of the best credit cards for students with no credit because it is inexpensive, rewarding and easy to use. The Journey Card has a $0 annual fee and a $0 foreign transaction fee, and it does not require a security deposit. Cardholders also earn unlimited 1% cash back on all purchases – 1.25% for months when the bill is paid on time.

Definitely make sure to check out the best student credit cards if you’re currently in college. They tend to have better terms than other credit cards for people with limited credit.

Getting a credit card with no credit is an essential step toward a solid first credit score and, ultimately, reaching excellent credit. You just have to make sure to use your card responsibly. Above all else, that means paying your bill on time every month. For help with that, make sure to check out WalletHub’s 8 Tips For Never Missing A Due Date.

Questions & Answers

Comparing credit cards for no credit can be tough. But you’ve got the knowledgeable WalletHub community on your side. We encourage everyone to share their knowledge while respecting our content guidelines. Please keep in mind that editorial and user-generated content on this page is not reviewed or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution. In addition, it is not the financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered....show moreshow less

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To get a credit card with no credit, apply online for a starter credit card, student credit card or other type of credit card for people with limited credit history. By choosing a card designed for people with no credit, newcomers who are at least 18 years old with enough income to afford monthly bill payments will have good approval odds. You don’t need credit history to get credit. But you do need to demonstrate the ability to repay future balances.

It’s actually easier than you might think to get a credit card with no credit. You just need to follow a few simple steps. We’ll tee them up below and then explain each in more detail.

How to Get a Credit Card with No Credit History

Check for a credit report/score to confirm you really have no credit.

See if your school email still works, as student credit cards are the best available to beginners.

So, if you want to get a credit card without credit history, start by making sure you really have no credit, then compare credit card offers, select the best one for your needs and submit an application. You could have a new card in your hands within 7-10 business days of applying.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s go through the steps involved in getting a credit card for the first time with no credit history in greater detail.

Step 2: See if your school email still works. College students typically get much better credit cards than other people with no credit. So if you have an active “.edu” email address, it will be an asset in your credit card search.

Step 3: Compare starter credit cards. You have to comparison shop if you want to find the best credit card deal. Your top priority should be getting a card with no annual fee whose other terms complement your spending and payment habits nicely.

Step 4: Submit your application. Actually applying for a credit card is the simplest part of the process. Just click “Apply Now” when you find your favorite offer, and we’ll redirect you to the issuer’s secure online application page. Applying online is the fastest application method. You could even be approved instantly.

Step 5: Activate your new credit card (or place a deposit on a secured card). If you don’t get approved the first time you apply for a starter credit card, place a refundable deposit on a secured credit card. Secured cards have the highest approval odds because your deposit usually matches your spending limit.

It’s simple to get a credit card with no credit. But once you open a credit card account, make sure to use it responsibly. Above all else, that means paying your bill on time every month and keeping your credit utilization as low as possible. That will ensure your credit score starts strong and stays headed in the right direction. You can track your progress for free on WalletHub, the first and only site with free daily credit score updates.

The best unsecured credit card for no credit is the Capital One Platinum Card because it has a $0 annual fee, a $0 foreign fee, and a $300 minimum credit line. Capital One Platinum does not have rewards, but no annual fee is more important when you’re first starting out with credit. If you’re willing to pay for better perks, consider the Capital One QuicksilverOne Card, which has a $39 annual fee and gives 1.5% cash back on all purchases.

If you’re in college, you can get a student credit card. Student cards are unsecured credit cards for no credit that are available only to college students. They tend to give better terms than non-student unsecured credit cards for no credit because issuers predict college graduates will have larger incomes. One of the best options is Discover it Student Chrome. It gives 2% cash back on the first $1,000 you spend each quarter at gas stations and restaurants, plus 1% back on everything else. On top of that, Discover matches all the cash back you earn during your first year. And they give you $20 for every year you earn a 3.0 or higher GPA.

Best for student cash back: Discover it Student chrome. $0 annual fee. $0 foreign transaction fee. 2% cash back on the first $1,000 at gas stations and restaurants per quarter. 1% cash back on all other purchases. First year’s cash back matched. 0% APR for 6 months on purchases. 15.24% - 24.24% (V) regular APR.

Best for student travel: Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students. $0 annual fee. $0 foreign transaction fee. 25,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days. 3 points per $1 spent at the BofA Travel Center and 1.5 on all other purchases. 10% points bonus when you have a BofA checking or savings account. 0% APR for 12 months on purchases. 17.24% - 25.24% (V) regular APR.

It’s pretty easy to qualify for unsecured credit cards for no credit, provided that you have a steady income. But if you want the absolute highest chances of approval, you may want to consider secured cards. They help you build credit just as well as unsecured cards, but you have to put down a security deposit to open them.

The best secured credit card for no credit is the Discover it Secured Card because it has a $0 annual fee and a $0 foreign transaction fee, and offers the chance to graduate to an unsecured card after at least 8 months of on-time payments. The Discover it Secured Card also offers 1% to 5% cash back on purchases and doubles the rewards you’ve earned after the 1st year. Discover it Secured requires a refundable security deposit of $200 or more, for a credit limit equal to the deposit amount.

Another good secured credit card for no credit is Capital One Secured. The Capital One Secured Card guarantees you a $200 credit limit, in return for a deposit of $49, $99 or $200, depending on your creditworthiness. This makes the card “partially secured,” as your credit limit would equal your deposit on almost all other secured cards. So Capital One Secured is best if you want a chance for a low deposit.

Here are the best secured credit cards for no credit:

Best rewards: Discover it Secured. $0 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit, $2,500 maximum. 2% cash back on up to $1,000 spent at gas stations and restaurants each quarter. 1% back on everything else. Eligible for possible deposit return after 8 months (approval not guaranteed).

Best for low deposit: Capital One Secured. $0 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit, $3,000 maximum. Eligible for possible credit limit increase with no additional deposit after 5 months. Can graduate to different unsecured card (no set timeframe), but cannot get deposit back without closing Capital One Secured account.

In general, secured credit cards offer high approval odds to people with limited or no credit. They’re designed for rebuilding credit, after all, and even people with bad credit scores can get approved. But even the best secured credit cards should only be a backup plan for people with no credit.

There are also unsecured credit cards for no credit with no deposit required. Student credit cards are the best deals, with $0 annual fees and more than 1% back on purchases. But other people with limited credit should be able to find a good offer, too. So you might want to try for an unsecured card for no credit first and then settle for a secured card if you don’t get approved.

Insufficient credit history means that you don’t have enough experience as a borrower for a lender to approve you for a credit card or loan. Without a sufficient amount of information in your credit report, a financial institution cannot predict how you will handle borrowed money as accurately. So it’s common to see the term “insufficient credit history” on a letter of denial from a lender. But it may come up other times, too, like when you’re apartment hunting. Renters with insufficient credit history are more likely to be asked for money upfront.

Having insufficient credit history doesn’t mean you’ve done anything bad. It just means you’re inexperienced. And that won’t keep you from borrowing, building credit, finding an apartment, etc. You just have to choose wisely. For example, there’s an entire class of credit cards for people with limited or no credit. And using such a card responsibly will help you build a strong track record as a borrower, making insufficient credit concerns a thing of the past.

Here’s what insufficient credit history means and how to fix it:

Insufficient credit history is a term that lenders use to tell you that there is not enough information in your credit report to approve you for a loan or credit card.

If you have insufficient credit history, it might mean that you have less than 3 years of recent credit experience, a track record of credit mistakes, or just not enough experience with different types of borrowing.

Insufficient credit history is something you can start to change in as little as a month. One way to start is to become an authorized user on someone else’s credit card. Or, you can apply for one of the many credit cards for people with limited or bad credit.

There are plenty of credit cards for people with insufficient credit history, including secured cards (easiest to get, thanks to a required security deposit) and unsecured credit cards designed for applicants with limited or no credit history. As long as you have some form of income, you should be able to get a card.

You can ask your local bank or credit union if they offer credit-builder loans. This is involves the financial institution depositing a small sum of money in your savings account, which you then repay over an agreed-upon number of months. The lender reports your payment history to the credit bureaus each month. And you get access to the savings account afterward.

You don’t need to feel too stressed about having insufficient credit history. But you should also strive to start building credit as soon as possible. Getting a credit card, making small purchases each month, and always paying your bill (in full) by the due date will set you firmly on the credit-building path.

The only American Express card for people with no credit used to be the USAA Secured American Express card, but you can’t apply for it anymore. They stopped accepting new applications in 2018. Now, there are no American Express credit cards for no credit.

I was thinking about applying for the USAA Secured Amex because my brother-in-law had it. But even if it wasn’t discontinued, I still wouldn’t be able to get it because you have to be in the military or have an immediate family member who is. I’m not too disappointed though. This isn’t really a true Amex card anyway.

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Ask the Experts

Getting credit when you have none to begin with might seem like a chicken-or-egg conundrum, but it’s actually not that complicated. There are many credit cards designed for people with limited or no credit, and the credit-improvement process is pretty straightforward. You just need to know where to look and what pitfalls to avoid. With that in mind, we posed the following questions to a pair of personal finance experts in search of insights that can help you start your credit career on the right foot. You can check out their bios and responses below.

Is it important for people with no credit to get a credit card?

Why are some people with no credit hesitant to apply for a credit card?

If you have no credit, is it better to be an authorized user before getting your own credit card?

What tips do you have for someone filling out a credit card application for the first time?

Is it better to work with a bank or a credit union when you have no credit?

Why do credit card companies check your credit if you have none?

Robert BrooksProfessor of Finance and Wallace D. Malone, Jr. Endowed Chair of Financial Management and Director of the Master of Science in Finance at University of AlabamaRead More

Coleen PantaloneAssociate Professor of Finance in the D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern UniversityRead More

David ReissProfessor of Law and Research Director of the Center for Urban Business Entrepreneurship at the Brooklyn Law SchoolRead More

David RobinsonSenior Lecturer, Haas School of Business, University of California, BerkeleyRead More

Frank PaianoProfessor at Southwestern CollegeRead More

We work hard to show you up-to-date product terms, however, this information does not originate from us and thus, we do not guarantee its accuracy. Actual terms may vary. Before submitting an application, always verify all terms and conditions with the offering institution. Please let us know if you notice any differences.

† Approval Odds are WalletHub estimates intended to gauge your likelihood of approval for a particular product. Approval Odds are based on WalletHub data and are not provided or endorsed by the lender. Approval Odds are not meant to imply or guarantee that you will be approved by the lender or that credit will be extended.

Ad Disclosure: Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted on an offer’s details page using the designation "Sponsored", where applicable. Advertising may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). At WalletHub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products.

Editorial and user-generated content on this page is not provided, commissioned, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any issuer.